Cause and Effect
by Terilicious
Summary: The aftermath of the red eye flight causes violent disruptions in the lives of both Lisa Reisert and Jackson Rippner. LisaxJackson


1Disclaimer: I own nothing, simply borrowing for my own amusement :)

_Deep cerulean irises drank in the form of a sleeping beauty, the sheets tangled in her slumbering form. The admirer leaned in the doorframe of the bedroom, carefully hidden by shadows. The streetlight trickled in between the haphazardly shut blinds, casting the sleeping woman in a faint glow. A grin spread across the figure's defined features as he closed the distance between them, his pace careful and with purpose. He stopped short at her bedside and leaned in to stroke the angel's dark tresses before his eyes flashed with malice, and he wrapped his hands around her throat and began to squeeze._

Lisa Reisert bolted upright from her bed, beads of sweat gathered at her temple, breathing hard. She reached under her bed for the bat she had hidden there, wrapping her fingers around the weapon and struggling to breathe normally. She glanced at the bright green numbers staring at her from her bedside table. 4:31 AM. This was the third time she had woken up in a cold sweat, nightmares forcing her far from the sleep she so desperately needed. Despite the knowledge that Jackson was incapacitated at Mt. Sinai Medical, fear gripped Lisa, and unfortunately it was not limited to her waking hours. Relaxing slightly, she put the bat back under her bed and ran a hand through her hair. To try to get back to sleep was pointless now, she'd have to get up in a few hours for work as it was. She stood up and stretched, reaching down to make the bed. An early start to the day she had been reluctant and frightened to wake up to - the day she had to go and identify the man who had terrorized her and her father, the man who had both broken her spirit and made it stronger than it had been before. The man who currently plagued her thoughts, causing even the simplest of tasks to become formidable. She knew fear, it had gripped her for years after her excruciating ordeal in the parking lot. This was different. He had awakened so many emotions in Lisa that had lied dormant for too long. Now, the floodgates were opened, and she was a shell of herself once more. She wandered into the bathroom and stared at her reflection in the mirror, studying the blank look her emotions were frozen into. Unrecognizable.

-x-

As Lisa in stood in the balmy Miami sun outside the doors of Mt. Sinai Medical Center, she couldn't really remember how she had gotten there. She vaguely remembered hearing of a traffic jam on 1-95 and taking an alternate route, she could still hear her father's voice as he told her to call him as soon as she left, and fragments of the smooth jazz on the radio remained set in her mind, but it seemed like she had been in her apartment, hands shaking as she tried to unlock her car door, only moments ago. Come to think of it, the past two days seemed like a blur to her. Hadn't she just been at an airport in Dallas, living life as she knew it, before a man came into her life and shook her very existence to the core? She attempted to bite back the tears, but as she stepped forward and into the hospital, they began to slowly spill. She wiped them away and approached the greeter. Somehow, Lisa managed to give her name. Somehow, she heard what the woman told her when she gave her the directions. Somehow, she managed to will her feet to take her there. She approached the ICU, the tears managing to find their way back down her cheeks.

"Miss Reisert?" A strong voice rang out and Lisa turned to find it's source and nodded as she saw a young, handsome doctor. He smiled charmingly, revealing a set of perfect white teeth. She merely nodded. "Thank you for coming, Miss Reisert. My name is Doctor Summers. I'll make this quick, I don't want you to be here any longer than necessary, especially after such a traumatizing ordeal." He motioned to the door in front of him. "If you could kindly just step into this room and give me the name of the individual on the bed, please." Lisa nodded again, not quite able to find her voice. She reached for the doorknob and turned it gently, closing her eyes and swallowing hard before stepping into the room.

There he was. Lisa stood, trembling, as her gaze fell upon the man who had caused her such intense anguish. He, too, was unrecognizable from the charismatic, sadistic young man who had taken her captive. Bruises, cuts, tubes, needles. He seemed broken, and it was she who had broken him. Her eyes roamed over his throat, and as suddenly as he had forced his way into her life, something inside of her changed. No longer would Lisa Reisert be the meek little mouse, the victim, the one so easily bruised and beaten. She had beaten him once, and she could do it again. Her emerald eyes flashed with something new, a surge of something powerful deep inside of her. Something that was the beginning of much bigger things. She turned and looked at the doctor, her face set in resolve, her mind at peace for the first time in days. A mysterious grin played upon her face as she found her finally found her voice.

"His name is Jackson Rippner."

A/N: My first Redeye fanfic, and the first fanfic I've ever had completely mapped out in my head. I have some great ideas for these two :D Let me know what you think, hope you liked it!


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